Dear Queenie,
We are five adult children of a mother who is turning 60 and about to retire. We are planning to go in together on a super birthday gift for her but we cannot agree on how to share the cost.
Some of us are married and some are not. Does each adult pay the same amount, or only her own children, couples being considered as one person?
Queenie, what do you think is fair?—
Dear Confused,
There is no hard-and-fast rule about such things. However, in my opinion, the cost should be split according to income: if everyone earns about the same amount, each child pays an equal share, with spouses chipping in as they see fit. On the other hand, if some of you earn a lot more than others, why not split the cost according to what each of you can afford?
Try holding a family meeting to discuss the subject and see if you cannot agree on what is fair.
